Wednesday Sector Laggards: Healthcare, Utilities

In afternoon trading on Wednesday, Healthcare stocks are the worst performing sector, showing a 0.6% loss. Within the sector, The Cigna Group (Symbol: CI) and CVS Health Corporation (Symbol: CVS) are two large stocks that are lagging, showing a loss of 5.5% and 5.2%, respectively. Among healthcare ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (Symbol: XLV), which is down 1.3% on the day, and up 5.52% year-to-date. The Cigna Group, meanwhile, is up 0.18% year-to-date, and CVS Health Corporation, is down 30.40% year-to-date. Combined, CI and CVS make up approximately 2.9% of the underlying holdings of XLV.

The next worst performing sector is the Utilities sector, showing a 0.5% loss. Among large Utilities stocks, Consolidated Edison Inc (Symbol: ED) and American Electric Power Co Inc (Symbol: AEP) are the most notable, showing a loss of 2.0% and 1.7%, respectively. One ETF closely tracking Utilities stocks is the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU), which is down 0.5% in midday trading, and up 25.33% on a year-to-date basis. Consolidated Edison Inc, meanwhile, is up 5.67% year-to-date, and American Electric Power Co Inc is up 19.52% year-to-date. Combined, ED and AEP make up approximately 7.0% of the underlying holdings of XLU.

Comparing these stocks and ETFs on a trailing twelve month basis, below is a relative stock price performance chart, with each of the symbols shown in a different color as labeled in the legend at the bottom:

Here's a snapshot of how the S&P 500 components within the various sectors are faring in afternoon trading on Wednesday. As you can see, four sectors are up on the day, while five sectors are down.

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Also see:

• Institutional Holders of MFA
• WMAR Insider Buying
• INVE Average Annual Return

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.